Improvement in railroad-signals



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. MCOLURE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,559, dated September 1, 1874; application filed August 6, 1874.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known thatI, JOSEPH A. MGGLUEE, of Philadelphia city, State of Pennsylvania, bave invented an Improvement in Railroad- Signals, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to improved apparatus for signaling the approach of locomotives or railroad-trains, and consists in placing a pendulous-weighted lever at some point near a railroad-track, where it will. be operated upon by the wheels or some other part of the passing locomotive or cars, and by its connection with a suitable apparatus be made to ring a` distant alarm-bell.

In the accompanying drawings, P is the weighted lever suspended between the two standards d d, loosely upon the shaft D, which is connected with the rack H and pinion R attached to the post P. The vertical slot in the lever P incloses the ratchet-wheel a, which is attached firmly to the shaft D. The pawl o is hinged to the rear, and passes through the slot so as to act upon theratehet-wheel, which is partly covered by the shield s, so that the pawl will not act upon the ratchet when the train is passing out from the station. The stop k is to prevent the lower end of the weighted lever P from coming up too high when the upper end is thrown forward, in which case it might catch against some part ofthe passing train. The top of the lever P is placed near the track, so that the wheel of the locomotive or some other part of the train.

shall strike it and throw it forward, when the pawl c engages the ratchet-wheel a,V which turns the shaft D and pinion H, and the rack R is drawn down, pulling the cord or wire w. The wire w, being carried over the pulleys L and M, connects with the sliding trip t, attached to the post Pf", or some part of the station-house, and rings the alarm-bell E. The weight g is to pull the sliding trip t back, and keep the wire w at its proper tension.. To avoid the use of sprin-gs in the apparatus for ringing the alarm-bell, the hammer 7L is attached to the weighted lever r, to the lower end of which is suspended, by a toggle-joint, the catch l, which catch engages the trip t when moving forward, but slides over it upon its return. Another weight, g', is attached to the rack It by arcord or wire passing over the pulley L, to give the proper tension. The position ofthe leverP is reversed when placed on the opposite side of the station, so that only the approaching trains are signaled.

I claim- The weighted lever P, provided with the ratchet-wheel a, pawl c, and shield s, in combination with suitable device for ringing an alarm-bell at a distance, substantially as set forth.

JOSEPH A. MCGLURE. Witnesses:

N. DU BOIS, T. D. WINTER. 

